So this is a first for me. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. Here we go.
Do you ever have those days that God is really working on you?? I mean as a believer I know that we are to continue growing in Christ and be active in our faith, but you know what I'm talking about. Those days where you hear what he is saying over and over again. You hear it on the radio, read it in your quiet time, and it even comes up in discussions with friends. For me today has been one of those days. The message? Choose Joy.
I feel like I am a pretty joyful person. For some reason though the Lord has laid this topic on my heart to the point I have to share! One area in my life that I have really put an emphasis on in 2018 is being proactive. What type of person do I want to be? I can REACT to every situation that comes my way. I can throw a fit, cry, be angry, play the victim, blame someone else, question, worry, OR I can choose to be PROACTIVE. I can’t control the circumstances around me, but I can control my response to them. I can choose joy. I can choose love. I can choose to be a fighter. I can choose to trust.
Noah spent years building an ark for something that he had never experienced before, and then had to live on that ark for 40 days and nights waiting on God. Moses wondered in the desert for 40 years and never saw the Promised Land. Sara waited 90 years to conceive the child that God had promised. Joshua headed to the Promised Land and what happened when he got there?? He got to march around the city of Jericho for 7 days and then blow trumpets. Jacob was thrown in a well. David was too small. Jesus had no place to lay his head. Why do I say all of this? God kept his promises. God STILL keeps his promises.
So, while you wait, while you pray, while you hurt and question why, choose JOY! There is a reason it was listed right behind love in the fruits of the spirit. You can react and throw a pity party making everyone around you miserable too, or you can choose joy and make the best of the time you are waiting. I personally want to choose joy.